As Bulgaria prepares to join the eurozone on January 1, 2026, businesses and consumers are making last-minute adjustments for the currency switch. The Association of Bulgarian Banks confirmed that starter packs of euro coins, valued at €10.23, are available online for 20 leva, though payments by card will not be possible until 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
Zhivko Rusev, who owns two grocery stores, including a 24-hour location, shared his preparations with bTV. Drawing on his experience during the 1999 redenomination of the leva, he has stocked up on euro starter packs for January 1. “One pack contains 2,000 euros in banknotes and 110 euros in coins. I ordered five packs to have enough on hand,” Rusev said. Yet he remains cautious, as the software used in his stores has not yet been fully updated to handle transactions in both leva and euros. “They did an initial update, but a final one is still needed. I’m not sure if everything will work smoothly in January,” he noted.
Rusev also expressed concerns over pricing labels, which he has had to adjust multiple times to comply with regulations, adding extra work and costs. Cashiers are unsure whether registers will automatically calculate change in both currencies or if manual calculations will be needed.
Emil Stoyanov, a store manager, explained that he is informing customers that cash payments will be preferable on New Year’s Eve. “We will accept both euros and leva, and there will be no split between the two depending on the hour,” he said. This comes as card payments are set to be suspended for a brief period, between 9 p.m. on December 31 and 1 a.m. on January 1, affecting POS terminals, online purchases, and ATM withdrawals.
Online merchants are also capitalizing on the transition. Investigations by bTV revealed that some sellers offer euro coin starter packs at inflated prices, often double the bank rate. While the official exchange sets the value of €10.23 at 20 leva, online listings are selling the same packs for 40 leva, highlighting the high demand and speculative pricing ahead of the currency switch.